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Hello - I've heard that there is a new version of MS Front Page in Beta right now... Anyone heard anything about release dates? How the Beta is going? I have a client (school system) that uses FP and needs to upgrade from FP98. I'd hate to have them spend already scarce $$ for FP2000 and then have to turn around and upgrade (not to mention reinstall on 50-odd computers) again. Any news? I have checked on the MS site and even e-mailed MS (okay - don't start laughing too hard -- I'm an optimist at heart) but heard nothing.....

Have a look under MS's Office section as it gives some info on all the next Office applications, of which Frontpage is part. As you're in the US you can get a trial version of Frontpage 2002 for a small fee.

From what I read in a preview article of the next Office suite, in PC Pro (UK), the biggest changes to Frontpage 2002 is tighter integration with Publisher and the other Office apps.

Personally, I don't use Frontpage as I had terrible experiences with the 97 version. Each to their own though.

Thanks for the info. You're right about FP 97 - it was horrible. But FP2000 is much improved - if also much maligned from the "pros." Actually - I am a pro and do use FP2000 for many sites, especially those that I turn over to customers for their own updating and maintenance. FP2000 is easy and not intimidating for non-designers to use. The basics are like web design with training wheels - but you can move beyond that...

I have seen FP2000 and it is a lot better but as most of my work is server side development using VB and ASP/VBScript I prefer to use Homesite.

For a lot of people handcoding html is just unnecessary and the likes of FP, Dreamweaver, HoTMetaL Pro etc do a good job of writing the code. I haven't got anything against anyone using whatever tools they want to get the job done. It's all about the final result in the end.

I actually think FP is a good program for people new to web design as a lot of people are familiar with the Office interface.

FP2000

FP 2000 writes terrible html! And it loads it up with tons of ms specific stuff. Plus, if you want to use their add on stuff, you have to be hosted with someone with the "ms extensions" installed. Ask any host. They will tell you that fp2000 is a pain in the @ss. Sure it's easy to use, but so is dreamweaver which produces a nice clean code that loads faster and is more compatible with non ms browsers...

Yes, I'll admit Dreamweaver gets the best reviews, but look at it's price in comparison to Front Page! People use FP because it comes with MS Office. If you have FP and it gets the job done, I can see no point in forking out hard cash for DW until such as time as the user out-grows FP - and many never do!

I've only been seriously into web design for a little over 3 months and I'm very happy with FP2000. For some reason, I've caught onto html very quickly and know enough to be able to edit directly in notepad, so I can tidy it up and get rid of the bits of code that FP puts in which aren't needed.

IF I ever get to the point where I can afford DW, I'm still not sure that I would get it....and if I did, I'd still use FP for uploading and editing as it's a hell of a lot easier than using FTP. I'm lucky....my sites are hosted by a friend in the States and his server is set up to accept FP extensions with FTP being set up only if the client requires it!!

Originally posted by Saz249 Yes, I'll admit Dreamweaver gets the best reviews, but look at it's price in comparison to Front Page!

It's worth every penny. Have you ever noticed how even the most well designed FP 2000 pages all look the same. Generally bland. Not bad for corporate clients, but if you want to be really creative...

I've only been seriously into web design for a little over 3 months and I'm very happy with FP2000.

No one who is serious about web design uses FP 2000 for long. I used it extensively for six months. Trust me on this...

IF I ever get to the point where I can afford DW, I'm still not sure that I would get it....and if I did, I'd still use FP for uploading and editing as it's a hell of a lot easier than using FTP.

DW 4 has a really nice built in ftp. One button synchronizations and all that. And it doesn't freak out on ya like the ms fp extensions so often do... Don't believe me? Just download the free dw4 demo here at www.macromedia.com and see what you think...